Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office Mourning Death of Deputy
Hallettsville Tribune-Herald
• A Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office deputy died in a San Antonio hospital on Dec. 22 a day after he crashed on a motorcycle on Dec. 20, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Deputy Dakota Moreno, 24, died at Brooke Army Medical Center where he had been airlifted for treatment. The Lavaca County Sheriff’s Office announced the deputy’s death on its official Facebook page with the following statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce that Deputy Moreno has passed away from his injuries. Please continue to pray for Dakota’s family and colleagues as we mourn his passing.”
The Navasota xaminer
• The First Court of Appeals issued a mandate on Dec. 4 affirming the conviction of Robert Thomas Buford Jr., 78 of Navasota, in the Feb. 10, 2017 murder of Janet Marie Lester, 74 of Navasota. Buford was convicted on Dec. 12, 2018, of first-degree murder. He shot his common-law wife Lester once in the abdomen at the couple’s residence in the 14000 block of Rolling Acres Lane near the Stoneham community. Buford was under the influence of alcohol and shot Lester during a verbal argument. He was later sentenced to 30-years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system. In his appeal, Buford argued, “the trial court erred in denying his request to include additional language in the jury charge’s instructions on self-defense and the trial court erred in excluding Buford’s expert witness, Augustine Gutierrez Jr.” On April 30, Buford’s conviction was upheld. Buford then had until Oct. 30 to file a petition for discretionary review with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Buford did not file his petition in time for discretionary review. The court issued a mandate on Dec. 4 stating there was no error in Buford’s conviction. His conviction is affirmed and is a final conviction. Currently, Buford is serving his sentence in Diboll. His projected release date is Dec. 5, 2048, and he is not eligible for parole until Dec. 7, 2033.
The Bellville Times
• After much speculation, the Wells Fargo branch in Bellville has announced that after 16 years it will be closing by placing a sign on its door. The downtown bank will officially close on Mar. 24, 2021, at 12 p.m. It comes as no surprise to local residents as the bank doors have been closed since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March. Wells Fargo will continue to have branches in Sealy, Brenham, and Waller.
The Gonzales Inquirer
• Benny Boyd Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealerships in Gonzales, Lockhart, and Luling have been purchased by the Nova Scotia, Canada-based company Steele Auto Group. The sales were announced on Dec. 8 in a press release from Steele. Boyd built the dealership in 2014. The Gonzales dealership, now Steele Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, will continue to be operated by general manager Danny Sandoval, and customers should expect little change in service, according to the release.
Lexington Leader
• On Dec. 19 Lee County Sheriff-elect Casey Goetz and his wife were in a two-car accident just south of Tanglewood on Hwy 77. Sheriff-Elect Goetz was traveling northbound in the outside lane in a 2014 Dodge Durango around 9 a.m. At the same time, Christopher R. French Jr., 24 of Boling was driving southbound in the inside lane in a 2020 Honda Accord. As the two vehicles approached each other, the Durango traveled across standing water causing the Durango to rotate to the left. The vehicle began to travel backward, still going north, before moving into the inside southbound lane. French tried to avoid a collision but was unsuccessful. The Durango came to rest blocking both southbound lanes and the Honda came to rest blocking both northbound lanes. Neither the Sheriff-Elect nor his wife was injured in the crash. However, French was taken by Lee County EMS to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin for possible injuries.
The Brenham Banner-Press
• A 73-year-old man died when a fire broke out inside his apartment in Brenham on Monday. Fire officials in Brenham are investigating the fire at Bluffview Villas Senior Apartments. The fire was contained to the living room and there only appeared to be some heat damage, according to investigators. No other residents were displaced. An autopsy is being conducted in Austin to determine exact cause of death and to identity the body. They believe the resident was the person killed. “It came in about 12, right before 12:30 yesterday afternoon. Upon arrival crews did find significant fire inside the apartment. A neighbor, across the hall or across the way had called it in and saw smoke coming out of the apartment,” said Roger Williams, Brenham Fire Marshal. The cause of the fire is still being looked into by the local and State Fire Marshal’s Office.